Hand holding coins and health care symbol According to EBRI's Paul Fronstin, "Meeting a health plan deductible may be associated with less patient scrutiny over the value of health care services being prescribed by health care providers." (Photo: Shutterstock)

High-deductible health plans might help make members more selective early in their plan year, but once they meet that deductible, all bets are off. A report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute shows that the likelihood of using low-value health services increases by as much as 83% once plan members meet their deductible. That includes services like cancer screenings below recommended ages, imaging for uncomplicated headaches, and vitamin D or prostate-specific antigen tests.

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